What Does A Dissertation Prospectus Look Like: 5 Structure Rules

Writing a dissertation prospectus can be difficult, because the guidelines you need to follow when working on this kind of paper are rather loose. Therefore, it is difficult for many people to understand what exactly they need to do and how their prospectus must look like.

If you face this kind of problem, take a look at the following structure rules that must be followed when you work on this piece of academic writing:

  1. Choose a good title.
  2. The title you pick must be informative first and foremost. It has to pinpoint the exact topic of your study and stress the main idea you explore in this research. Talk to your dissertation advisor in order to learn the size requirements towards the title of your prospectus. You also should look up a few samples online to get a better idea of how a good title looks like.

  3. Provide the necessary information in the body of the prospectus.
  4. The body part of this paper must provide essential information about the study. Start with defining the questions you aim to answer with this research. You also need to explain why exactly you chose this particular topic and why your readers should support your research. Point out the gap in the current knowledge of the subject that your research will fill. Tell people how this new information will affect the field as a whole.

    Finally, outline the main sources used in your research and explain why they are the best for this particular purpose.

  5. Write a chapter breakdown.
  6. You can choose to either provide a short breakdown of every chapter or organize the information in a small narration where you will explain your main arguments and methods used during your research. In short, this section must provide a summary of your dissertation so that the readers can have a better idea of what your paper will be like.

  7. Write a little bit about your needs.
  8. This section is usually needed only if you write a prospectus for a grant committee. This is where you explain why you need money or some other resource in order to further your study of this particular topic. You can also explain what special skills you have that will help you complete this project successfully.

  9. Add the necessary details.
  10. Although the purpose of a prospectus is to advertise your dissertation and get people interested in your study, you shouldn't forget that it is still an academic paper. As such, it must include a detailed bibliography and table of contents.



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